


Happy New Year

by KahtyaSofia



Series: Captain's Blog - S2 [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-14
Updated: 2009-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-02 19:22:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KahtyaSofia/pseuds/KahtyaSofia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's back at the Hub but getting back in to Ianto's heart is going to take more work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy New Year

Jack was heading back to the little red sports car, contemplating how in the hell they were all going to avoid themselves for an entire day. Damn time loops. Thinking back over the day's events, since he had been reunited with his team, he realized they couldn't return to the Hub. Their activities had taken them in and out of the base a time or two so going there could be problematic. If he told them to go home, he knew they might actually listen, but at least Tosh, Owen, and Ianto would log in from home and continue to work.

He was suddenly struck with inspiration. For all the peace they had made with one another today, a good bonding experience just might heal some lingering hurts, and pave the way for open communication between them all. Well, as open as Jack was ever going to be able to be with them.

"Hey, kids! I have a great idea! Anyone fancy an all day visit to a luxury spa?"

"Are you serious, Jack?" Gwen asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. My treat. We've all just had an extra long and difficult day that got rewound on us. We can't go back to the Hub because of it. I saw they finally opened that five-star hotel and spa while I was away. Let's go eat, drink, get facials, massages. We can all sit naked in the sauna and steam room! Whadaya say?"

The Team exchanged looks repeatedly as they tried to decide, without words, if they were going to take Jack up on the offer. Gwen and Tosh were the first to grin and even started to giggle. Owen looked open to the idea. Ianto studiously examined his shoes, hands in the pockets of his trousers. Jack got the feeling he would go along with the group in the name of solidarity, when what he really wanted was to get as far away from Jack as possible.

"Your treat?" Gwen confirmed.

"I think it's the very least I can do for you all."

"Let's go, then!"

Jack checked them into three connecting rooms. He could hear the shouts and giggles from behind the doors that separated each room. The door between the room he stood in, and the one where Owen and Ianto were creating a racket, finally opened to reveal Ianto. As soon as Jack made eye contact, Ianto gave a tiny smile and blinked rapidly a few times, before he looked away and stepped back in to the room behind him. Jack sighed to himself as he realized, not for the first time that day, that it was going to be a long road back to Ianto. He'd left a lot of damage in his wake with that one.

Sticking his head through the connecting door, Jack saw Owen laughing through the other connector as he watched Gwen and Tosh jumping on the two queen beds in the third room. Sliding his hands in to the pockets of his trousers, Jack walked over to enjoy the girls' antics, too.

When both Gwen and Tosh were back on terra firma, Jack made a suggestion. "How about some late night room service?"

His question was met with enthusiastic shouts of agreement, followed by suggestions for what to order. Jack smiled widely. "Grab a menu and order what you want!"

"A meal I don't have to order, pick up, or have delivered," Ianto deadpanned. "Quite the novelty."

Jack sat himself down in one of the wingback chairs as Owen asked, "Can we order up something from the bar?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," he replied.

Tosh and Gwen christened the beds of the room they all currently occupied, by jumping on them with enthusiasm. Jack laughed at the girls and felt his heart ache. These were the people he had thought of constantly during the year he'd been strung up and tortured. He was so glad to be back.

As they ate, drank, and generally made merry, they also scanned the spa services menu and each made up a list. Mani's, pedi's, facials of varying flavors, massages of varying techniques, seaweed wraps, mud wraps, and the girls went in for some waxing of body parts Jack didn't want to contemplate.

The spa opened at six a.m. and Jack's mildly pissed team were the first through the doors as soon as they were unlocked. They made the lobby of the spa sound like a playground during lunch break. Jack noticed that Ianto stood slightly apart from the group. He laughed and contributed to the general mayhem, but he stood just the tiniest bit apart. Jack himself was keeping to the background, just enjoying the fact that he was back with his team, so it wasn't hard to notice each surreptitious glance Ianto sent his way. Each looked lasted no more than a second or two, but their frequency was telling. So, as Gwen, Tosh, and Owen jockeyed for position at the front desk to make sure they were scheduled for their preferred treatments, Jack kept his eyes on Ianto and waited for the next look to come his direction. When it did, he met it directly, and with just a hint of a smile. Ianto looked away almost immediately, shifting his weight from foot to foot, hands buried in the pockets of his trousers. This might not be as difficult as he first thought. He was still going to have to tread carefully. 

As the gaggle disappeared in to the bowels of the spa, Jack approached the desk and graced the girl behind it with his most irresistible smile. He tossed down the black Amex and informed her he'd be picking up the day's tab.

~*~

Jack was chatting up the cute technician who was leading him to have his manicure. He was post-massage and facial, and feeling better than he had in a non-existent year. As he took a seat where he was directed, Jack saw that Ianto was already there and was providing his manicurist with specific instructions.

Seeing Jack's arrival, Ianto glanced up and gave a small smile before looking back down at his own hands.

"You're a regular to the manicure table, aren't you Ianto?" Jack asked, glancing over at the younger man.

Ianto's head shot up and he looked at Jack briefly. "Well, yes. Sir. It's an important part of personal grooming."

"And you always look impeccably groomed," Jack said neutrally.

"Thank you. Sir."

"Ianto, please. Please drop the 'sir'," Jack emplored.

He heard Ianto's sigh and saw the slight nod of his head.

"I've always admired your hands when I've seen them at work." Ianto appeared to blush slightly. "You know, when you hand me files or my coffee mug," Jack clarified.

"Thank you. Jack."

Mindful of the manicurists, who were most likely hanging on their every word, Jack started to ask questions to try to draw Ianto out. "Before I caught up to you all I had a chance to review some of the work you've done since I left."

"We've been fairly busy, it's true." this was said without looking at Jack.

"I saw that. You all handled it quite well. It looked a little disorganized in the beginning, but you found your stride."

"Gwen was a great deal of help. She just seemed to be able to step up and keep us organized."

"I'm proud of her for that. You saw a fair amount of field work in my absence."

"It suddenly became necessary. Back up, and all."

"That's what I'd been hoping for during all those months of extra training we worked on. And you stepped up. That's great, Ianto. "

"None of us had any choice, really. We had to assume you were gone for good."

Jack's lips pressed in to a thin line and he silently nodded, acknowledging his culpability in the pain and resentment his team had felt.

"I'm not sorry I left. It's something I had to do. But I am sorry I left so abruptly, without any warning, and without making it clear to all of you that I was going to come back."

Both men were silent for a time then Ianto spoke; "It was the not knowing, Jack." There was a lot of emotion packed in to that short, quietly spoken sentence.

"You're right, and I'm sorry."

"We didn't know if we had done something, or if there was some sort of risk to you involved." Ianto was obviously being mindful of their civilian audience.

"I understand. Believe me, I do. If I had thought, for just a moment, I would have found a way to let you all know that I always intended to come back." Not for the first time was Jack struck with the similarity between what he had done to his team in general, and Ianto in particular, and what the Doctor had done to him on the Game Station.

They lapsed into silence for a time until they were both soaked, clipped, nipped, filed and buffed. As Jack rose, he spoke to Ianto again, "Anything scheduled after this?"

"No. I don't go in for the trendy treatments, just your basic healthy maintenance."

"What do you say we get dressed and head back to the rooms to wait for everyone else? We can get something else to eat or a drink."

Ianto agreed.

It turned out that the hotel brewed coffee good enough to satisfy even Ianto. So they sat in the comfortable wingbacks, and shared the silver pot that sat on the table between them.

Jack sat, elbows on knees, looking down at the floor. He had been silently berating himself for being so focused on getting to the TARDIS, that he had hardly given a thought to his team. The result had been a lot of damage done to Ianto.

After several moments of silence, Jack said, "Ianto, do you understand why I had to leave? If not, I _will_ explain it to you."

"Your doctor came for you. You left with him."

"It's wasn't that simple."

"We know you're secretive, Jack. But that was one hell of a secret to suddenly discover about someone you're …" Ianto didn't finish.

Jack suspected he knew what it was Ianto had been about to say. "Someone you're involved with. Intimate with."

"It's become apparent that you and I define intimate in completely different ways."

"Not as different as you might think."

Ianto made no direct reply, but he continued, "We were all still stunned from the strain of mourning you, when you miraculously came back to life. Before we can absorb _that_ fact, you're gone."

"I'm sure you don't believe me but I _do_ know how you felt. That's why I needed to find the Doctor, and ask him the kinds of questions you want to ask me."

Ianto swallowed hard and refused to meet Jack's eyes.

"Whenever you're ready, Ianto. We'll talk when you're ready."

They both lapsed into silence for a time and sipped at their coffee. Jack broke the impasse finally, "Any idea where you might want to have dinner?"

"Are you asking about in general or a specific occasion?"

"On our…date."

"I'll put some thought into it."

"Please do."

"Why…" again, Ianto didn't finish.

"Why what?"

Ianto remained silent.

"Why did I ask you on a date?"

Ianto nodded.

"Why does anyone ask another person on a date? I fancy you, Ianto Jones."

"Yes, but…"

"Because I thought it would make you happy. And I'm willing to come back on your terms, as long as you eventually let me back."

"That reminds me," Ianto said. "I'm sorry I remarked about the behavior of your wrist strap, earlier."

Jack was confused at Ianto's change of subject. He furrowed his brow and looked at Ianto askance.

"When it beeped. I remarked on the odd behavior, and there really is no professional reason I should have that knowledge."

"I don't expect you and I to be a secret, Ianto. I was willing to drop the pretense when I kissed you the day I left. I respect your privacy, though. If you prefer discretion, where our history is concerned, I'll go along. Just don't think for a second that I'm embarrassed or ashamed."

"I see."

"Do you really?"

Ianto studied Jack as if he were coming to a decision. As Jack watched, Ianto seemed to reach that decision but he said nothing.

"Did you carry that stopwatch around the entire time I was gone?" Jack asked at length.

"As I said, Jack, always at the ready."

Jack laughed at this. "You have a dark side I didn't know about until today! You were counting down to a man's destruction, with glee!"

Whatever else they might have said had to be put aside as the rest of the team came storming in to the room in search of them.

"Oi," Owen said. "Are you lot ready to try that posh restaurant downstairs! Pampering made us hungry!"

"You three didn't have _every_ treatment, did you?" Jack asked, only a little disappointed at the interruption to his and Ianto's conversation.

"Yep!" said Gwen. "We've exhausted the menu."

"Well then, after we eat, we'll go back down and I'll share my ideas for some new treatments."

His suggestion was met with enthusiasm.


End file.
